Ma Rong

Who was Ma Rong?

Ma Rong, courtesy name Jichang, was a commentator of the Han Dynasty. He was born in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi in former Fufeng county. He was known for his commentaries on the books on the Five Classics, and the first scholar known to have done this. He also developed the double column commentary while doing it. His main students were Lu Zhi and Zheng Xuan.

He was suspended for ten years due to critical comments. Eventually he was restored to the Governor of Nan commandery. His biography appears in the Book of Later Han. He wrote the Rhapsody on Long Flute, and possibly another work known as the Classic of Loyalty.